ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, November 17, 1996 TAG: 9611180133
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B8 EDITION: METRO
Virginia suffered what first appeared to be a critical loss when 6-foot-1 Joe Rowe, a starter at the ``boundary'' corner, sprained an ankle and could not return to the game.
North Carolina was able to exploit Rowe's replacement, 5-foot-8 Sam McKiver, by lobbing the ball to 6-5 L.C. Stevens. But, former starter Joe Williams, while no giant at 5-11, replaced McKiver and negated some of the size advantage.
UVa was without one of its three regulars from North Carolina against the Tar Heels. Middle linebacker Wali Rainer had an ankle injury and did not dress, so redshirt freshman Dillon Taylor took his place.
Taylor, whose father played football for the Tar Heels, shared playing time with another redshirt freshman, Shannon Taylor from Roanoke. When Shannon Taylor was in the game, he played on the outside and Jamie Sharper moved to the middle.
SHARPER TERROR
Sharper, who had 2 1/2 sacks for the season before Saturday, had four in the first half. The Cavaliers had seven as a team, giving them 38 for the season, which easily outdistanced the previous school record of 32 set in 1994.
TURNOVERS
North Carolina, ranked first in Division I-A in turnover margin, was on the receiving end of five Virginia turnovers - four interceptions and a fumble.
The Tar Heels lost the ball three times on turnovers, matching their season high. Quarterback Chris Keldorf had been intercepted three times before being picked off by the Cavaliers' Stephen Phelan and Antwan Harris.
BY THE NUMBERS
Harris tied a 35-year-old school record with his 95-yard interception return in the fourth quarter. Ted Rzempoluch had a 95-yard interception return, also for a touchdown, in a 28-16 victory over Maryland in 1961.
Virginia tailback Tiki Barber carried 26 times for 79 yards against the No.3-ranked rushing defense in the nation, giving him 1,195 yards for the season. It leaves him 124 yards short of the UVa career record of 3,348 held by Terry Kirby.
STREAKS
Virginia, ranked 24th by The Associated Press, was in jeopardy of falling out of the polls before staging its 17-point, fourth-quarter comeback. The Cavaliers have been ranked for 39 consecutive weeks, the ninth-longest streak in Division I-A.
NEXT OPPONENT
The Cavaliers (7-3) will have an open date before visiting Virginia Tech (8-1) at 2:30 p.m. on Nov.29, the day after Thanksgiving. Virginia finished the ACC portion of its schedule with a 5-3 record, its third 5-3 finish in the last four years.
LENGTH: Medium: 61 lines KEYWORDS: FOOTBALLby CNB